Veteran actress Jackie Lou Blanco has opened up about the emotional toll her family is going through following the back-to-back losses of her mother, the legendary Pilita Corrales, and her former husband, actor-director Ricky Davao.
“It’s been really very hard,” Blanco told reporters on Sunday during the conferment ceremony for Corrales at Malacañang, where the late singer was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit.
“Ricky had been sick for the last couple of months. He really fought a good fight,” she said. “But it’s difficult because grief doesn’t end after you lay someone to rest. We’re still mourning for my mom, and now we’re grieving for Ricky.”
Corrales, known as Asia’s Queen of Songs, passed away on April 12 at the age of 85. Just weeks later, on May 2, Davao died at the age of 63 after a battle with illness.
Blanco said the pain has been especially difficult for their children, who lost both their father and grandmother in a short span of time.
“They lost their dad and their ‘mamita’ almost at the same time,” she said. “Is it difficult? Yes. But we are trying to draw strength from each other and praying for God’s help so we can get through this together.”
Despite the grief, Blanco said she encourages her children to carry forward the legacy of their beloved family members.
“I told them, ‘We honor your mamita and your dad by being excellent in what you do and in how you treat other people,’” she said.
Blanco remains hopeful that with time, faith, and the support of one another, they will find peace amid the pain.
